Doffer plate



1952 A. L. HUBBARD 3,048,962

DOFFER PLATE Filed Nov. 14, 1960 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR L.HUBBARD v WWMMZW? ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,548,962 Patented Aug. 14-, 1962 3,048,962 DOFFER PLATE Arthur L. Hubbard, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to Deere dc Company, Molina, llll., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 14, 196i), Ser. No. 69,191 8 Claims. (Cl. 56-41) This invention relates to a doffcr mechanism for a cotton harvester and more particularly to the individual doifer plates in the mechanism.

In the conventional type cotton harvester, there is normally provided an upright harvesting drum having a series of laterally extending and rotating picker spindles which, upon the drum being rotated, move into the cotton plant for purposes of removing the cotton bolls from the plants. The drum then operates to move thc picked cotton into proximity of a second upright dofiing drum. The latter drum is composed of a centrally located upright rotatable driveshaft with a series of vertically spaced and laterally disposed doffer plates fixed to the shaft. The plates normally have fixed thereto a series of depending rubber lugs which contact the picking spindles for purposes of removing the cotton from the spindles.

The dofl'er plate structures are normally composed of a rigid metallic backing plate which has bonded to its underside rubber dolfer lugs or pads. The doifer lugs extend radially and terminate at their outer ends directly beneath the outer periphery of the metallic plate.

in operation, a conventional type doifer plate structure will operate to remove the cotton bolls from the spindles. However, at times, the spindles will contact a portion of the plant or weed, or other type of foreign object, which will tend to wrap about the spindle thereby increasing the overall size of the spindle. Upon the rubber pad or lug contacting the spindle, the increased size of the spindle will cause the lug to be broken from the plate, or even more seriously will cause the plate or the spindle to be fractured or bent.

it is the main purpose of the present invention to provide a new and novel type of doil'er plate structure which features a laterally disposed metallic plate having a central portion adapted for connection to the upright rotatable shaft and to have fixed thereto, either by bonding or by other suitable means, an annular dolfer ring of resilient composition. The doifer ring will have an inner portion inwardly of the peripheral edge of the plate and an outer portion outwardly of the peripheral edge or" the plate. The dolfer ring will also have an annular shoulder which will abut against the peripheral edge of the plate. The shoulder and inner portion of the doffer ring will be bonded to the plate. The doffer ring will also have an undersurface with depending and radially extending lugs which extend from directly beneath the plate to a point spaced substantially outward from the peripheral edge of the plate. The bonded portion of the dofier ring will therefore act to support the outer portion of the doffer ring as well as the lugs in cantilever fashion from the undersurface of the plate. Consequently should the outer portion of the doffer ring contact a picking spindle which has an enlarged buildup of cotton or other material, the outer portion of the doifer ring will tend to yield away from the spindle. As a result, very little damage will be done to the lugs themselves and also the spindles as well as the entire doiier plate structure will not be permanently injured.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the nature of the invention is better understood from the following description and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a doifer plate structure and an associated portion of the driveshaft for the doffer plate structure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings there is an upright rotatable driveshaft 10 having an upright key way 11 adapted to receive a vertically dispose-d key 12. Supported on the shaft 10 is a rigid laterally disposed doifer plate 13 having a centrally located hub portion 14 which is adapted to be fixed to the shaft 10 by means of the key 12, a suitable key way 15 being provided to receive the key 12. The plate 13 has an upper surface 16 and a lower surface 17 which extends outwardly to an annular upright peripheral edge 18.

An annular dolfer ring, here indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 29, has a comparatively thin inner portion 21 extending inwardly of the peripheral edge 18 of the plate. An outer portion 22 extends outwardly of the peripheral edge 18 and has an outer annular edge 23 spaced substantially from the peripheral edge 18. The ring 2% also has an annular upright shoulder 24 engaging the peripheral edge 18 of the plate 13.

As may be seen from viewing FIG. 3, the inner portion 21 has an upper surface portion 26 which lies adjacent to the lower surface 17 of the circular plate 13. The ring 20 also has an upper surface portion 27 extending from the shoulder 18 to the outer edge 23. The upper surface portion 27 extends as a lateral continuation of the upper surface 16 of the plate 13.

The underside of the ring 24 is composed of a series of radially extending and angularly spaced depending lug portions 30 which extend radially beneath the plate 15 to a point beneath the outer annular edge 23 of the outer ring portion 22. The lugs 30', therefore, extend the entire radial dimension of the ring member 20.

The composition of the inner plate 13 is preferably of metal although obviously a very rigid plastic material would be satisfactory. The outer ring member 26 is composed in its preferable form of a rubber compound although other types of resilient material would operate satisfactorily, assuming, of course, that the required wear and heat qualities were present. The upper surface 26 of the ring as well as the shoulder 24 of the ring are bonded to the lower surface 17 and edge 18 of the plate so that the outer portion 22 of the doiler ring is suspended from the plate 13 in cantilever fashion and is so provided that the outer portion 22 has no direct backing support by the plate 13.

Referring to operation of the doifer plate structure, normally the doffer lugs 30 will be disposed closely adjacent the surface of the cotton picker spindles, such as shown at 31, and will gently rub or wipe the cotton bolls from the spindles. However, should a weed, string, or cotton fibers become wrapped about the spindles 31 so that they cannot be wiped therefrom, the outer end of the lugs 30 as well as the entire outer portion 22 of the ring will yield upwardly to permit the spindles 31 to piss without injuring either the lugs 30 or the spindles While only one form of the invention has been shown, it should be recognized that other forms and variations will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, while the preferred form was shown and described in detail for purpose of clearly and concisely illustrating the principles of the invention, it was not the intention to limit or narrow the invention beyond the broad concept set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is l. A dofier construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular doffer ring of resilient composition having an inner portion inwardly of the peripheral edge of the plate, an outer portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge, and an annular upright shoulder engaging the peripheral edge of the plate, said doifer ring further having an upper surface on its inner portion extending to the shoulder and lying adjacent to the lower surface of the plate and an upper surface on its outer portion extending from the shoulder to the outer annular edge and generally defining a lateral continuation of the upper surface of the plate, said ring further having an underside with radially extending and angularly spaced depend-' ing lug portions extending radially from beneath the plate to a point beneath the outer annular edge of the outer portion; and means fixing the inner portion of the doifer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring and the lug portions will be supported in cantilever fashion by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

2. A doffer construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular dofler ring of resilient composition having an inner portion inwardly of the peripheral edge of the plate, an outer portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge, and an annular upright shoulder engaging the peripheral edge of the plate, said doifer ring further having an upper surface on its inner portion extending to the shoulder and lying adjacent to the lower surface of the plate and an upper surface on its outer portion extending from the shoulder to the outer annular edge, said ring further having radially extending and angularly spaced depending lugs beneath the inner and outer portions; and means fixing the inner portion of the doifer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring will be supported in cantilever fashion by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

3. A doifer construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular doffer ring of resilient composition having an inner portion beneath the plate and inwardly of the peripheral edge of the plate, and an outer portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge, said ring further having angularly spaced depending lugs extending radially inwardly from the outer annular edge of the outer portion; and means fixing the inner portion of the doffer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring will be supported in cantilever fashion by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 in which the lugs (i. are integral with and depend from both the inner and outer portions of the ring.

5. The invention defined in claim 3 in which the rigid plate is composed of metal and the doffer ring is composed of rubber and means iixing the inner portion of the ring to the plate is by bonding.

6. A doifer construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular doffer ring of resilient composition having an inner portion adjacent one of the surfaces and inwardly of the periph eral edge of the plate, and an outer portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge, said ring further having angularly spaced vertical lugs extending radially inwardly from the outer annular edge of the outer portion; and means fixing the inner portion of the doffer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring will be supported in cantilever fashion .by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

'7. A dolfer construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular dofler ring of resilient composition having a portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge and an annular upright edge engaging the peripheral edge of the plate, said portion further having an upper surface continuous with the upper surface of the plate and extending from the upright edge to the outer annular edge, said ring further having integral radially extending and angularly spaced depending lugs partially lying beneath the plate and partially beneath the portion; and means fixing the doffer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring and lugs will be supported in cantilever fashion by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

8. A doffer construction comprising: a rigid laterally disposed plate having a central portion adapted for connection to an upright rotatable shaft and upper and lower surfaces extending from the central portion to an outer and upright circular peripheral edge; an annular doifer ring of resilient composition having a portion outwardly of the peripheral edge with an outer annular edge spaced substantially from the peripheral edge and an annular upright edge engaging the peripheral edge of the plate, said ring further having integral radially extending and angularly spaced depending lugs partially lying beneath the plate and partially beneath the portion; and means fixing the doifer ring to the plate whereby the outer portion of the ring and lugs will be supported in cantilever fashion by the plate and be capable of yielding axially.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,654,203 Parkerton Oct. 6, 1953 2,700,266 Walker Ian. 25, 1955 2,729,930 Walker d Jan. 10, 1956 

